A new study led by researchers at the University of Chicago offers insight on how a “zombie” gene plays a key role in protecting elephants and other large animals from developing cancer. “Peto’s Paradox”, the lack of correlation between body size and cancer risk has intrigued and confounded cancer researchers for decades. In basic terms, big animals (think elephants, blue whales) should equal more cancer, simply because their bodies contain more cells and undergo more cell divisions.

Slower metabolic rates and slower growing tumors may play a role, but the University of Chicago researchers point to another factor – extra “zombie” LIF genes, including LIF6 (a leukemia inhibiting factor pseudogene), which is up-regulated by the master tumor suppressor gene p53 in response to DNA damage. When activated by p53 these “zombie” genes respond to damaged DNA by killing the cell.

Take a look at these MSK-authored articles, recently published and picked up by over 60 news outlets thus far:

• Detection and localization of surgically resectable cancers with a multi-analyte blood test. Science. 2018 Feb 23;359(6378):926-930. DOI: 10.1126/science.aar3247
• Surgeon influence on variation in receipt of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy for women with breast cancer. JAMA Surg. 2018 Jan 1;153(1):29-36. DOI: 10.1001/jamasurg.2017.3415
• Role of genetic testing for inherited prostate cancer risk: Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference 2017. J Clin Oncol. 2018 Feb 1;36(4):414-424. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2017.74.1173

To read the news stories, click on the Altmetric donut from the links above and go to “News.” For more information about Altmetric’s news sources, see Sources of Attention: Mainstream Media Outlets. Altmetric’s newstracker pulls in content from all of the news outlets they track, looking for links to scholarly papers.

See all MSK publications added to Synapse in March 2018.

Take a look at these MSK-authored articles, recently published and having acquired over 100 Mendeley readers so far:

• Gut microbiome influences efficacy of PD-1-based immunotherapy against epithelial tumors. Science. 2018 Jan 5;359(6371):91-97. DOI: 10.1126/science.aan3706
• Senescence-associated reprogramming promotes cancer stemness. Nature. 2018 Jan 4;553(7686):96-100. DOI: 10.1038/nature25167
• Immune-related adverse events associated with immune checkpoint blockade. N Engl J Med. 2018 Jan 11;378(2):158-168. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra1703481

To see the demographic breakdown of readers, click on the Altmetric donut from the links above and click on “MENDELEY READERS.” See all MSK publications added to Synapse in February 2018.